The invention relates to a Gate Reader, and more particularly to an exit reader or ticket-reader.
The invention is especially developed in connection with such devices as are found at passenger gate-exits at airports, but is not limited to such exclusive use, as the invention is suitable within a broader aspect where one has exit-entry-points or control-points that require a form of advanced control of who, or at least how many, that shall pass, or pass the control-point.
A Gate Reader is usually a device that consists of an insertion opening and an ejection opening for a ticket, internal pathway means for control and transport of the data-carrying ticket inserted into the insertion opening, towards the ejection opening, decoding and re-coding means in the path for reading of the data, and control means for control of the read data, as all means are connected to a computer as Processing Unit for delivery of information necessary for processing of ticket-data.
If the decoded data is accepted, it means that the customer is permitted to pass. If the data is invalid, the customer must in today's environment make contact with or be contacted by a service-agent that assists with updating and/or re-issuing of a valid ticket. This occurs in a separate device connected to a Central Processing Unit. This personnel intensive service-operation takes a relatively long time, and requires interaction between customer and service-agent/operator and will often result in queues forming.
Another problem with today's equipment is that even though the data stored on the magnetic-stripe usually is presented on the front-side of the ticket, in normal graphical print-characters, today's equipment is such that some of this data can be updated or revalidated at a later point in time than the actual issuance of the physical ticket, for instance in the Gate Reader. A good example could be seat-specification. Such an update can be performed by various known Gate Readers, which are connected to a Central Processing Unit, and the update will not present any major problem on the magnetic-stripe, but it is a chaotic disadvantage that such updating is not made visually available for the holder of the ticket, in the correct field on the tickets front-side.
Based on this techniques current state it is therefore an objective of the invention to create a means by which the customer him/herself can perform or see to the performing of the necessary operations related to revalidation or updating, and that means are available to enable visual information of the performed alteration, in the correct field on the tickets front-side.
This is achieved according to the invention by two clearly separate devices, whereof one until now has been agent/operator controlled, being united in one and the same device, which is a Gate Reader, explicitly so that in a Gate Reader is integrated a graphic printer for visual denoting ticket-relevant information on the inserted slip or respectively for visual denoting on a hopper expedited slip, which then is delivered updated to the customer. This last mentioned option is usually only relevant if the customer has not identified him/herself with a ticket.